Hiltunen One Assist Shy of Double-Double

Box Score

SALEM, Va. --- Amanda Hiltunen hit 4-of-7 three-pointers and came up one assist short of her third 10-assist day of the season as Randolph-Macon College turned back Eastern Mennonite University, 86-68, in the third quarterfinal of the 2009 ODAC Women's Basketball Tournament.  The Yellow Jackets improve to 21-5 while the Royals end their season an even .500 at 13-13.

Randolph-Macon awaits the winner of Virginia Wesleyan College and Guilford College for its next contest on Saturday.  Game time for that semifinal will be 1:00 p.m. in the Salem Civic Center.

Hiltunen scored 12 of her game-high 18 points in the second half, helping R-MC maintain its 20-point halftime lead through the final whistle.  Five of her nine assists came in the opening frame as the Jackets were building their lead.  She also had six steals.

Both squads stayed tight through the first five-plus minutes of the contest before a Jillian Asay three-pointer put R-MC up 13-8 with 14:35 showing on the clock.  Pair of Danielle Scott free throws pulled EMU back to within three, but the Yellow Jackets went on a 19-6 run over the next 8:26 to move out to a 32-16 lead at the 4:24 mark.

A pair of lay-ups from Addie Bashorun and a three-point play from Melissa Lewis drew EMU to within nine, but R-MC finished the half on a 13-2 run to go into the locker rooms on top, 45-25.

Randolph-Macon kept the peddle down coming out of the break.  A Hiltunen three-pointer at the 16:38 mark gave R-MC its largest lead of the game at 57-28.  EMU continued to try to chip away at the Jackets', drawing to within 18 points at the 7:13 mark, but the Royals would get no closer through the final horn.

HIltunen's 18 points led four Yellow Jackets in double figures.  Lindsay Riesbeck notched 16 points and eight rebounds, hitting 8-of-13 shots from the field.  Molly Ariail collected 12 markers, and Maggie Roy used a trio of three-pointers to pave her way to 11 points.

Brittany Snyder's 14 points led four Royals in double digits.  Bashorun finished the evening with 13 points with Scott and Lewis each gathered 12 points.  Scott also had five rebounds.